


The Dumbest PO3 AU

by eveningbreeze, xbloodywhalex



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: F/M, Gen, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:20:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24546802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eveningbreeze/pseuds/eveningbreeze, https://archiveofourown.org/users/xbloodywhalex/pseuds/xbloodywhalex
Summary: In a world where Leafpool actually makes an effort to hide her children, the Three are split between the clans - Hollyleaf remains in Thunderclan, while Jayfeather is sent to Riverclan, and Lionblaze is sent to Windclan. Chaos ensues.
Relationships: Cinderheart & Hollyleaf (Warriors), Jayfeather & Willowshine (Warriors), Lionblaze & Heathertail & Breezepelt
Comments: 27
Kudos: 60





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> xbloodywhalex: hi! this is an au thats. been in the works for... about a year actually! this will be a book of oneshots (mostly because writing out all twelve books is. intimidating to say the least)
> 
> the basic concept is essentially that the three end up in different clans- lionblaze goes to windclan, jayfeather goes to riverclan, and dovewing goes to shadowclan. the leaders find out about their powers and subsequently attempt to use them to gain advantages over the other clans. spiderleg is the fourth cat and has spiderman powers. things go horribly.
> 
> this is actually a collab between myself and eveningbreeze (goosewhisker @ tumblr), so go check her out! she'll talk a little more about it at the end.

"And this is... dandelion?"

"No, Hollykit. That's milkweed."

"Oh." Hollykit stared at the milkweed, ears drooping. _Why can't I ever get it right?_ she wondered, spearing the roots on her claw.

"Honey, no!" Leafpool batted her paws away. "Don't pierce the roots, the sap will leak out... oh, dear. We don't have very much in stock, I hope it's still salvageable..."

As Leafpool bent over the milkweed roots, Hollykit shrank back towards the door. Everyone knew that Leafpool had only taken Hollykit on because no other apprentices would even consider being a medicine cat. With her lack of talent, Hollykit would never have even made it past the door otherwise. At first, she'd taken it as a challenge; before the moon was over, Hollykit would prove to everyone that she deserved to the medicine cat apprentice! Except... it hadn't worked out that way.

 _I can't get anything right,_ Hollykit thought miserably. _It's almost been an entire moon and I don't even have the basics memorized. I'm supposed to be the medicine cat! The entire clan is depending on me! If I can't even tell milkweed from dandelion, I've failed them all._

Suddenly, Hollykit couldn't stand to be in the den any longer. Ignoring Leafpool's cry of surprise, she turned tail and fled from the den. The dawn patrol was just coming in, so the camp was full of milling warriors. Hollykit gritted her teeth and sprinted through their midst.

Blossomfall yelped as Hollykit plowed past her, and Spiderleg oofed when she drove a sharp elbow into his gut. _I'm sorry!_ Hollykit wailed internally. _Even when I'm not trying, I still hurt my clanmates. There's no option left but to leave._

At last, she broke free of the crowd and scrambled out of camp. All the border patrols were in camp, and the hunting patrols were all on the lake side. There was nothing but trees between her and the Twolegplace. Feeling heartsick, she looked back at the camp one last time. _Goodbye, mom. Goodbye, dad. Goodbye, Cinderkit and Leafpool. Thank you for being kind to me, I know I didn't deserve it. Maybe, some day, we'll meet again._

Turning her back on her beloved clan, Hollykit plunged into the wildnerness. Each step was a torment, drawing her further and further from her kin. But this was necessary; sacrifice was necessary sometimes, and if that sacrifice was her - for the good of the clan, she would offer herself up on the pyre. Even if that sacrifice tore her heart in two.

_"Hollykit!"_

Maybe they would remember her, maybe they wouldn't. Perhaps they would think of her at first - something to be whispered in clandestine gossip, spoken with fear and pity and a sad resignation. Later, her name would simply fade away. Only those closest to her would remember her, and hold her name tucked safely in their hearts, long after the rest of the clan had forgotten it.

_"Hollykit?"_

After they passed on, however, there would be no one left to remember her. One by one, they would fall, and Hollykit's memory would fade day by day until the last one was gone. Her story, untold, would trickle into the soft, welcoming soil and vanish forever, lost and forgotten in the annals of history. The story of the sacrifice - one so bravely offered up by a kit, for her vast love for the clan - would-

"Hollykit, you tiny stupid _fleas-for-brains-rabbit_ , what in _Thunderstar's sweet name_ do you think you're _doing?_ "

Hollykit, cut off in the midst of her contemplations, looked up. Cinderkit slapped her across the face.

"Don't you go running off like that, you scared the mouse-dung out of us! Blossomfall said she almost broke her ankle tripping over you! What were you _thinking_?"

Hollykit touched her face gingerly. It hurt. "It was- it was necessary," she said, tearing up.

Cinderkit considered this. "How necessary? Like fate-of-the-clans necessary? Or all the juniper berries need to be the same color necessary?"

"Thunderclan's fate hangs in the balance," Hollykit told her earnestly. Of all the cats in Thunderclan, Cinderkit was the one she trusted to see it clearly. "I must go, Cinderkit. Give my regards to my parents-"

"Why, though?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you have to leave?"

"Oh." Hollykit tried to remember why, realized she couldn't, and re-walked through her entire path that day until she remembered the entire terrible episode with the milkweed. "Oh, Cinderkit! It was horrible!" she threw herself on her friend's shoulder, weeping bitterly. "I couldn't - Leafpool said - it was _milkweed,_ " she sobbed.

"Okay," said Cinderkit, rubbing circles on Hollykit's back with her paw. "It's alright, cry if you need to. I'm sure we'll get all this sorted out right away. Once you're done, tell me what happened?"

Hollykit shook her head wildly, sending drops of snot and tears everywhere. "I can't! It's unfixable! Cinderkit, I'm a- a- _I'm a horrible medicine cat!_ "

"I'm sure you're much better than you think," Cinderkit said reasonably. "You fixed up my paw pretty well the other day. It looked so professional, and you're not even an apprentice yet!"

Hollykit glowed with pride, but the much greater issue was still there. "But Cinderkit, I couldn't tell the difference between milkweed and dandelion. Milkweed and dandelion! They look nothing alike! If I gave a cat milkweed instead of dandelion for a cough, I could _kill them!_ "

She expected Cinderkit to be just as stunned by this horrifying revelation, but Cinderkit simply tilted her head. "But you won't," she pointed out. "Leafpool will be there to make sure you don't make any mistakes, and by the time you're doing it solo, you'll know _all_ the herbs by heart!"

"But what if I don't?" Hollykit wailed.

"You will," Cinderkit said. She practically radiated confidence, as though there was only one truth in this world and it was that Hollykit was an utterly fantastic medicine cat.

Some of that confidence couldn't help but rub off on Hollykit. "Well, maybe," she sniffled, rubbing away the tears. "Thanks, Cinderkit. For being so patient with me."

Cinderkit nudged her comfortingly. "No problem. Hey, I think I'm getting better at this!"

"Yeah. You weren't very good the first four times."

"But the fifth time, I _aced_ it."

"That was the time you accidentally implied Firestar would throw me out and I made it to the border before you caught up again."

"Yeah, well..." Cinderkit seemed discomfited for about half a second before bouncing back again. "I give the best peptalks of all time, and that's what counts!"

Hollykit sniffled again and nodded fervently.

"Now," Cinderkit added, clapping her on the back, "You need to get down to camp and apologize for making Leafpool worry. And to Spiderleg for elbowing him. But probably not to Blossomfall, 'cause she's a jerk."

"You're right." Hollykit stared at her paws. "But how can she ever forgive me?"

Cinderkit smiled. "Oh, don't worry. I think she will."

...

The medicine cat den was dark and cool after so long outdoors and it took Hollykit's eyes a moment to adjust. Towards the back of the den, Leafpool's hunched shoulders loomed large and daunting in the gloom.

Hollykit swallowed. "Leafpool?"

Leafpool startled and raised her head. "Oh, there you are! I couldn't find you anywhere."

A wave of guilt washed over her. Hollykit dropped her gaze to the ground, unable to meet the medicine cat's eyes. "I'm- I'm sorry, Leafpool," she said in a rush. "I know I'm no good as a medicine cat, and I can't tell the herbs apart, and every time I get something wrong I run away, and-"

A wall of fur enveloped her, cutting off her stammering apology with a warm embrace. Hollykit blinked, confused, before squeaking in surprise when Leafpool swiped a tongue across her ears.

"Don't be sorry, honey," Leafpool told her softly, drawing Hollykit closer. "You're not even a medicine cat apprentice yet- no one expects you to remember everything. And even when you become my apprentice, I'll be here for you, so you don't have to worry about getting it wrong the first time."

Hollykit went very still. " _When_ I become...?"

The warm flank beside her went abruptly rigid. "Oh! Only if you still to, of course," Leafpool said quickly. "I wouldn't want to pressure you, or anything," she hesitated, but when Hollykit looked up, Leafpool's eyes were warm. "But for what it's worth, I'd be honored to mentor you."

Hollykit gasped. _Even after all my failures... she still believes in me?_ "Yes!" she squeaked. "Oh my Starclan, yes! You're sure it's- I can really-?"

Leafpool purred. "I'll have to let Firestar know, but I'm sure he'll allow it. Everyone knows how good you are at healing, after all."

Hollykit almost corrected her - that morning alone posed a hefty contradiction - but Cinderkit's absolute confidence flashed through her mind, and she narrowed her eyes. "I'm gonna be the best medicine cat _ever,_ " she vowed instead.

A soft sigh gusted over the fluff of her ears, and above her, Leafpool smiled. If she'd looked up, she'd have seen Leafpool's mouth curl into a sad, bittersweet smile. "I know you will, Holly."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we have a tumblr over @the-dumbest-po3-au so go check that out if youre interested- there's plot summaries for some of the books! please note that we may deviate from them a bit as theyre pretty old and slightly outdated. we'll try to respond to every review as well!
> 
> a note from eveningbreeze/goosewhisker: while we're both working on the plotting/concepts/worldbuilding/characterization/etc together, i'll be doing most or all of the writing itself. be warned that i'm an obscenely slow writer with random motivation spikes (case in point: the first half of this one-shot has been sitting in my drafts since november. that's like 6 months.) there won't be a regular update schedule, but rest assured that we don't intend to give up on this - the dpo3 au is our baby and we've only got more great stuff to come!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for all the great feedback! i'm honestly blown away by how much support this little au has gotten.

Jaykit had wanted to be a warrior as long as he could remember - ever since he'd opened his eyes. "I'm going to be a warrior" had probably been his first words, no matter what Willowkit said (she insisted his first words were "ablaaablababa" and that even from the start it was clear he was braindead). Being a warrior - dangerous, powerful, admired by everyone with equal measures of respect and fear - was the greatest thing Jaykit could think of.

So when Willowkit started following Mothwing around and pestering her with random stupid questions, of course Jaykit made fun of her.

"You're just becoming a medicine cat 'cause you'd suck at being a warrior, and Leopardstar knows it," Jaykit informed her disdainfully.

Willowkit sniffed. "Please, Jaykit. Everyone knows being a medicine cat is _much_ harder than being a warrior. That's the only reason Leopardstar's letting you be one; if you got apprenticed to Mothwing, you'd poison some cat on your first day!"

Jaykit leaped to his feet. "I would only poison someone on _purpose_! You're dumb enough mix up juniper berries with yew!"

Even across the den, he could practically feel her pelt bristling with embarrassment and fury. "That was _one time_ ," Willowkit snarled.

"And I've never mixed herbs up at all," Jaykit crowed triumphantly. "Since _my_ nose isn't always stuffed up and leaking snot ev'rywhere-"

"I got sick _once_ -" Willowkit began heatedly.

" -and Mothwing says I have a natural ap- apti- talent for it, " Jaykit plowed over her, unheeding. "I'd be a _way_ better medicine cat than you, with one paw stuck behind my back!"

"You couldn't and you know it," Willowkit snapped, stepping closer so that Jaykit could feel her breath on the top of his head. She was almost one kitten-step taller than Jaykit and he hated it with every hair on his pelt. "If you could actually be a medicine cat, you'd have asked Mothwing already, like I did. But you're too weak and stupid to use your head, and you're too mean to heal people, so you're going to be a crusty old warrior like everyone else and leave the _real_ work to us."

The unsubtle insinuation there - the undertone of _You_ know _you would fail, and you're too afraid to try_ \- was the last straw. Jaykit could _spit_. "Maybe I _will_ get Mothwing to mentor me, and I'll be such an awesome medicine cat that she'll fire you! So _you_ can be a crusty old warrior!"

"Ha!" Willowkit's voice shifted, suddenly coldly amused. "Try it. It'll be funny to see you _fail_."

Mothwing had come in then, blabbering about how they were clanmates and shouldn't fight or something stupid like that, but Jaykit wasn't paying attention by that point. He and Willowkit always fought; that was how they worked. But this was different from their usual fights. Something had changed. This was _personal_ now.

So the next day, when Leopardstar called everyone out to the camp for an apprentice ceremony, Jaykit sat by the nursery. He didn't make fun of Willowkit, or try to be as loud and disruptive as he could (which was, by the way, totally not what he did at most clan meetings. Definitely not.). Willowkit must have been able to sense it, because she stank of anxiety through the entire ceremony, even when she touched noses with Mothwing and got her new name.

_Good_ , Jaykit thought, narrowing his eyes at her. _Be afraid_. This was only the warm-up; she had no idea what she was in for.

When Willowkit- Willowpaw, now - followed Mothwing into the medicine cat den, Jaykit was there waiting for her.

Willowpaw stopped short. "What's _he_ doing here?" she demanded, briefly forgetting that she was supposed to be groveling at Mothwing's paws or something.

Jaykit made his eyes as big and round as he could. "I jus'- I jus' thought, since Mothwing's already teaching Willowpaw, maybe she could teach me too?" He shuffled his paws, hunching over to make himself look even smaller. "'specially 'cause the nursery's gonna be so empty, with only me there..." he mumbled.

Willowpaw's nostrils flared. "You little... get out of here! Medicine cats _only_!"

Mothwing watched them both wordlessly. Jaykit tried to look as small and helpless and innocent as he could, which wasn't difficult when one was a Windclan-sized blind kit who probably weighed less than a chipmunk soaking wet.

"Jaykit..." Mothwing said at last, voice trembling faintly with emotion. Jaykit and WIllowpaw waited with bated breath. Just when he was about to snap with irritation, she lunged forward, scooping both of them into her arms. Jaykit screeched and flailed angrily, slapping Willowpaw across the face, who shrieked and flailed in response. Either unnoticing or uncaring, Mothwing squeezed them tighter. "I'm so happy you both want to be medicine cats! I've dreamed of this for so long, you don't even know!" Willowpaw attempted to kick Jaykit in the face and ended up driving her foot into Mothwing's stomach. With a muted _oof_ , Mothwing toppled over backwards, bringing both of them down with her.

"Now look what you've done," Jaykit mumbled through a mouthful of Mothwing's fur.

Willowpaw didn't say anything, but he could feel her eyes burning through his pelt. _Just you wait,_ Jaykit promised her silently. _This is just the beginning._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jaykit and willowkit will get along eventually, don't worry - it'll just be a very, very long time coming. mothwing will have plenty of time to regret all her decisions before this is over.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> once again: thanks for the support everyone! without all your great comments and excellent feedback, we wouldn't be here right now. here's the last of the po3 trio, lionkit!

The highland wind sang in his ears and threaded its cool fingers through his thick pelt. The sharp scent of heather pricked at his nose, carrying with it the gamey tinge of rabbit blood. Tonight promised good hunting; his ancestors shone brightly overhead.

"Are we there yet?" Heatherkit whined.

"Stop asking. If you didn't want to come, you shouldn't have come," Breezekit snapped.

Lionkit closed his eyes and sighed. He was really trying to get into the spirit of things, but it was hard when his accomplices were bickering the whole time. "Alright, team," he said. "I think it's time for another pep rally!"

He was greeted by twin blank stares. "Stars, not again," Heatherkit muttered.

Undeterred, Lionkit plowed on. "Why are we here? To defeat the dogs! And get our warrior names!"

"That's stupid," Breezekit said. "You're stupid."

"It was your idea, rabbit-brain," Heatherkit pointed out.

"We're going to be the youngest warriors at the lake! Maybe ever!" Lionkit cheered. "Mom and Dad're gonna be so proud!" Breezekit perked up a bit.

Heatherkit wasn't paying attention, which was a little unfair since Lionkit was only just really getting into it. "Hey guys, d'you smell that?" she asked.

"Smell what?" Lionkit asked. He squinted into the darkness and inhaled deeply, but all he could smell was the overwhelming scent of heather. Oh, and rabbit blood. Was the scent getting stronger?

"You really think they'll be proud?" Breezekit asked distantly, not paying attention at all.

Something rustled in the heather. Lionkit snapped to attention, every sense suddenly on alert. Heatherkit shifted towards him; even Breezekit looked on edge. Lionkit peered out into the heather, but the night was vast and dark and drowned out everything around him.

Then a low, rattling growl echoed through the moor, and the bushes before them parted to reveal two enormous, gleaming eyes and the biggest set of teeth he'd ever seen.

Heatherkit squeaked. Breezekit sucked in a startled breath, fur fluffing out to twice his size. And as for Lionkit-

Lionkit's breath caught in his throat. For a moment, he couldn't move, overwhelmed by the sound of the blood pumping in his ears. His paws were trembling beneath him, his heart was pounding in his chest, and every hair on his pelt spiked with anticipation. Instead of the terror he probably should've felt, all he could feel was a strange, wild excitement.

Then Heatherkit turned to run and the dog lunged and Lionkit _moved_.

It was like everything had slowed down around him - or like everyone was moving through water, and only Lionkit was swifter than the wind. He could see Breezekit's eyes widen with fear, and the tremor of his flanks as he sucked in a breath. He could see the dog's blood-red tongue lolling out of its mouth, the flecks of drool that it flung into the air, and the gentle pulsing of the veins in its throat as the blood rushed through them.

It was to this that his attention was pulled like a moth to flame.

Lionkit's claws tore through the dog's throat like paper. The dog howled, causing a spurt of blood to well up between his claws, and tumbled over. Lionkit pounced on it, worrying at its soft flesh and feeling a rush of pleasure as the animal thrashed in pain.

Somewhere, someone screamed, but the voice was distorted and unfamiliar. Lionkit left off the dying dog and watched, dispassionate, as a second hound snatched its prey off the ground. Whatever it was, the prey was fighting back - and losing. Badly.

The hound shook its prey violently, letting drops of blood spatter everywhere. Lionkit grimaced as one of the drops landed at his feet and-

Wait.

The blood-scent touched something locked deep within him, something that was screaming _Lionkit, this is important. Pay attention-_

_... you really think they'll be proud?_

The name formed in his mind - _Breezekit -_ and, for a moment, everything clicked into place. _Breezekit_. It felt like he'd been dragged out of a dream, woken up abruptly to find the nightmare had continued into real life. _Breezekit. It's hurting him- no, it's_ killing _him-_

_It's killing him._

Breezekit's scream echoed through the air, and this time, Lionkit could make out Heatherkit's frantic voice alongside it.

_Breezekit is going to die_.

The wave of bloodlust came roaring back, and this time, Lionkit let it.

* * *

"- two full-grown dogs, Ashfoot. _Two_. An entire patrol can't even handle _one_ , and a- a _kit_ took on _two_. And _killed_ them."

Lionkit, curled up beside Breezekit's nest, wished miserably that he could shove moss in his ears. They might be outside the den, but did the grown-ups really think he couldn't _hear_ them?

"Hmm." Ashfoot's voice was almost eerily calm next to the frantic medicine cat. "You're sure Lionkit did this?"

"Positive," Barkface muttered. "We found fur, and the claw marks matched - but that doesn't make _sense_ , a kit's claws aren't long enough to cause that kind of damage without enough force behind them, and that much force would've broken every bone in his body!"

Lionkit looks down at his claws, short and blunt and stained with blood around the edges where Nightcloud hadn't been able to reach. She'd been in the medicine cat den for hours, only leaving to get food; Lionkit's certain the adults wouldn't be talking so loud outside if _she_ was still here.

Maybe he could ask them to stop?

"You know, Tornear said when his patrol found them, Lionkit didn't recognize them. That he was like an animal."

Lionkit cringed and buried his head under his paws. He didn't want to think about it - about the strange, feral thing he'd become, one that didn't recognize family or friends and would've watched his siblings die.

He really _should_ go ask them to stop.

Barkface sighed. "I asked Heatherkit when they brought her in," he says quietly. "Since Breezekit was out the whole time... she was the only one able to bring Lionkit to his senses. Said he would've attacked the patrol if she hadn't."

Ashfoot didn't respond immediately. After a moment, she asked, "Does Onestar know?"

The admission, when it came, was even quieter. "No. Figured you'd want to know first."

"Good. Don't tell him. I'll-"

She cut herself off abruptly, and Lionkit wondered why before a third voice popped up.

_"What_ are you saying about my dad?"

Barkface made a terrified, squeaky noise. "Hello, Heatherkit," Ashfoot said, sounding amused. "What brings you here?"

"I'm visiting Breezekit." She was silent for a moment before adding pointedly, "Maybe you should talk somewhere else. Away from the medicine cat den. You wouldn't want to wake up Breezekit, after all."

"Oh, of course not," Ashfoot said. "We'll be right on our way. Thank you for reminding us, Heatherkit."

"You're welcome." The reply was a little snooty and a little bossy and entirely Heatherkit. There was the sound of two sets of paws moving slowly away from the den's entrance before Heatherkit came slipping back in. She settled next to Lionkit with a sigh, pressing her fur against his own. "How's Breezekit doing?" she murmured.

"His leg's hurt real bad." Lionkit hesitated, then added, "Barkface said it might not heal right. That he won't ever walk the same."

"That's alright. We'll be there for him."

Lionkit looked at her, so relentlessly determined and caring and _good,_ and his words caught in his throat for a minute. "Thanks," he whispered belatedly.

"You're welcome." Heatherkit nudged him and fell into silence.

Lionkit set his head on the edge of the nest and watched Breezekit's side slowly rise and fall. He was safe, surrounded by family, and far, far away from dogs and battle and danger of any kind.

If he closed his eyes, he could almost even forget the rush of power coursing beneath his skin and blood welling under his claws.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that's the last of the pre-written stuff - i've got like half the next chapter ready, so who knows when that'll be posted :') lionkit rounds out the trilogy, so povs from this point on will be in random order! for the most part, though, they'll stick to our main characters (though cinderkit will end up having at least a couple chapters). unfortunately, that means we won't have any shadowclan povs until oots, but i may sneak some bonus guest povs in at the end of some chapters... we'll see how it goes.
> 
> again, thanks for all the amazing support, guys! see you at the next update ^^ - goosewhisker


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> eveningbreeze - as i said in the author notes of russetfur vs. the entirety of skyclan, its been a minute since i posted. a lot of things happened, i got a kitten, a job, a new fandom, and i speedran a full semester of calculus in like the past four weeks. im sorry about how late this is and i cant promise when the next one will be up but its half written already so uh hope springs eternal. anyway thanks for coming to my ted talk

"Lionpaw! On your left!"

Without looking, Lionpaw hooked his claws into the Thunderclanner's pelt and heaved her around to deflect her clanmate's claws. As the other warrior stumbled back in shock, Lionpaw shoved the she-cat into him and kicked them both away.

"Heatherpaw!" he called out, lunging at a new enemy. "How's it looking?"

Heatherpaw fell into step beside him, sliding beneath him to hook the enemy warrior's paws off-balance as Lionblaze tackled him to the ground.

"Great, actually!" she said. "We're driving them back towards the camp. If that guy doesn't show up, we might actually win thi-" she was cut off abruptly as a mass of spiderwebs slammed into her.

"Heatherpaw!" Lionpaw kicked the fallen Thunderclanner in the face before throwing himself to the ground. Just in time; even as he rolled, a burst of webbing shot over his head, barely missing his eartips. "Heatherpaw!" he called put again as he scrambled to his feet.

"I'm good!" Heatherpaw gasped from somewhere very high up. "Kick his tail, Lionpaw!"

Lionpaw nodded sharply and focused on the approaching Thunderclan warrior. He was a leggy brown-and-black tom, with a name like... like a bug, or something. Lionpaw couldn't really remember.

"So you're the apprentice who's been causing so much trouble for my clan," the dude said with a crooked smirk. What was his name? _Think, Lionpaw_.

The answer came to him like a bolt from the heavens. "Beetleman," he said sternly.

Beetleman blinked, then scowled. "My name is _Spid_ -"

With a battlecry, Lionpaw lunged at Beetleman, forcing the older warrior to scramble out of the way. "I'll get you this time, Beetleman!" he snarled.

"My name isn't Beetleman!" Beetleman shouted, ducking beneath Lionpaw's swipe. "It's-"

Lionpaw kicked him in the throat, cutting off whatever he was about to say, and rammed his shoulder into Beetleman's chest so hard that his paws actually left the ground. As the warrior hit the dirt several tail-lengths away, Lionpaw sprang into the air in a flying leap and came down on Beetleman's chest with enough force to make him spit blood.

Snarling, Lionpaw lunged for the throat but was blocked at the last second by Beetleman shoving his foreleg in Lionpaw's mouth.

"I tire of this," Beetleman said warningly.

Lionpaw growled and bit down hard enough that the bone cracked. Something flickered at the corners of his vision - something dark and bloodstained that urged him to sink his claws in deeper, to let loose, to give in to the taste of blood on his tongue-

Lionpaw shook his head wildly. The presence jolted loose and dissipated.

That moment of distraction was all Beetleman needed. With a grunt of effort, he heaved Lionpaw off and kicked him away. Lionpaw flipped over in midair, but before he could resume the attack, a mass of spiderwebs collided with his chest, sending him flying into a tree.

He hit the trunk with a _thud_ so hard that he blacked out for a second. When Lionpaw came to, he was six tail-lengths off the ground, all his limbs were bound together, and he was webbed to the tree firmly enough that there was no way he was breaking out alone.

He'd have to wait for backup to come.

Again.

Lionpaw sighed.

"Hellooo there," Heatherpaw said from somewhere above him. "Come to _hang out_ with me some more?"

Lionpaw squirmed around in the webbing enough to peer up at Heatherpaw, who was hanging upside down from the tree with an air of resignation. "That one wasn't your best work," Lionpaw said.

Heatherpaw somehow gave the indication of shrugging despite being wrapped in spiderwebs up to her neck. "All the blood is rushing to my head, I'm doing great just being able to _speak_. I see you lasted all of thirty seconds against the great Beetlemeister," she added pointedly.

Down below them, the battle was wrapping up - heh - as cats were webbed to trees left and right. Lionpaw sighed again. "I just don't understand how he does it," he said, watching wistfully as Beetleman pulled off a triple backflip ending in a karate chop to Whitetail's face. "He's unbeatable, even for me."

"But you're the one with powers here," Heatherpaw pointed out. On the ground, Beetleman swung into the air on a strand of spiderwebs as Ashfoot lunged at him. "It doesn't make sense."

"I guess he's just that strong of a warrior!" Lionpaw's eyes shone. "Someday, when I grow up, I'll take him on head to head and win on my own!"

Heatherpaw hummed. "And that's just how strong he is as a normal cat," she mused. "Imagine how strong he'd be if he had superpowers."

"Yeah. He'd be-" Lionpaw's eyes went wide as a familiar face emerged from the brush. "Heatherpaw! Heatherpaw, she's here!"

"Who's what now?"

Lionpaw flailed wildly, or at least as much as he could when all his legs were stuck together. "It's her! That Thunderclan apprentice!"

"Oh." It took Heatherpaw a moment to remember. "Your illegal crush?"

"Yes! Oh my Starclan, she's looking this way!"

The small gray apprentice was staring at them with an expression impossible to discern. Lionpaw wrenched a paw free so he could wave at her. Heatherpaw watched him judgementally.

"You know she doesn't care, right? See, she's walking away."

The apprentice was indeed walking away. Now that the fight was over and Windclan had been successfully neutralized, the Thunderclan cats were leaving. Lionpaw sighed wistfully after her. "She's so beautiful."

"You've never even spoken to her."

"Love is a language that needs no words, Heatherpaw."

"You don't even know her _name_."

"And when she tells me, I will sing it in _ballads_."

Heatherpaw groaned aloud, but was saved from replying by Crowfeather's arrival. "Heatherpaw," he said from the foot of the tree. "You're not supposed to be fighting."

"I am," Lionpaw said helpfully.

His dad frowned. "Yeah, you sure are," he said, a touch of bitterness in his voice. Lionpaw wondered what that was all about, but before he could ask, Crowfeather started attempting to scale the tree and he was immediately distracted by the ensuing chaos.

Crowfeather was a Windclan cat.

Windclan cats didn't climb.

"Try grabbing onto that branch," Lionpaw suggested as Crowfeather scrabbled for a foothold.

"Left! Go left!" Heatherpaw chanted.

"Heatherpaw, your left and my left are _not the same_ ," Crowfeather growled through clenched teeth.

"I meant _your_ left!"

" _There's nothing there!_ "

"Your other left, then!"

Crowfeather snarled wordlessly and, through a combination of willpower and sheer spite, clawed his way up the last few inches. Lionpaw cheered appropriately.

His dad muttered something incomprehensible under his breath and began untangling Lionpaw's prison. "Please never give me instructions on anything ever again," he said, tugging loose a lengthy stretch of web.

"Yessir!" Lionpaw said at the same time Heatherpaw stuck her tongue out.

Crowfeather bopped her on the head. "Just for that, I'm leaving you for last," he said and pulled Lionpaw's other front leg free.

"That doesn't count! You were already gonna leave me for last!"

"Sure. Squirt, next time Ashfoot sends you to the Thunderclan border, could you try _not_ to tangle with that spider guy? I'm sick of untangling you all the time."

As the strands of webbing loosened, Lionpaw thrashed furiously, scrabbling at the bark for a grip. His dad sighed and leaned forward, grabbed the scruff of his neck, and hauled him bodily out of the webbing. Lionpaw yelped as a few clumps of hair were pulled out and sank his claws firmly into the branch when his dad set him down.

"Thanks, Dad," he breathed, and the corner of Crowfeather's mouth quirked up in a smile.

"Sure thing, kid." He turned to the still-trapped Heatherpaw with a thoughtful expression. "Now, what do you think - should we really get her out of there?"

Heatherpaw squawked in dismay and began struggling in earnest. "Nononono! You can't just leave me! You're a terrible mentor!"

Lionpaw gasped, scandalized. "Heatherpaw, you can't just say that!"

"Watch me! Crowfeather, you suck!"

Crowfeather's eyes slid half-shut in the way they did when he was in one of his rare playful moods. "Ah, I see. It's unfortunate I suck too much to get you down, then."

"Aah, wait, I didn't mean it! Don't go!"

"Really?" Crowfeather turned to Lionpaw. "You think she meant it?"

Lionpaw hummed contemplatively. "Well, she said yesterday when she pushed Breezepaw down the hill that she means _everything_ she says and if she changes her mind later, she's lying," he said after a moment.

Above them, Heatherpaw yelped. "Hey! Lionpaw, you can't tell him that!"

"There you have it." Crowfeather shrugged and ushered Lionpaw towards the tree's trunk. "Guess we'll have to send someone who _doesn't_ suck to come get you. Weaselfur, maybe?"

"If Weaselface sees me like this I'll kill _both_ of you," Heatherpaw vowed. "I mean, please don't send him! I didn't- oh, rabbit-dung. Crowfeather, you're a great mentor and I'm sorry I said that and I'll do the ticks for a _moon_ without complaining if you get me down! Pleeeease!"

Lionpaw swapped a skeptical glance with his dad. "It's going to turn out like last time, isn't it," Crowfeather said flatly.

Lionpaw nodded. "She'll just make Breezepaw do it."

"Hey! No, I won't! I'll do _all_ the ticks, and- and..." she trailed off, probably realizing just what she'd promised to do.

"Really?" Crowfeather pressed. "You _promise_?" His voice sounded stern, but when Lionpaw looked up at his dad, his eyes were pinched around the corners with smothered laughter.

Heatherpaw groaned. "Ughhh, fine. Yeah. I'll do the fleabitten elders' rotten ticks for an entire stars-damned _moon_ and I'm not gonna make Breezepaw do it. Or Lionpaw. Or Harepaw. Or Kestrelpaw. Are you _happy_ now?"

"Absolutely," Crowfeather assured her, and ripped her out of her cocoon of webbing with a single slash.

Heatherpaw hit the branch with a muffled grunt. Lionpaw reached under Crowfeather's stomach to steady her, and she blinked at him gratefully.

"Since you're so eager to get back to the elder's ticks, you can go down first," Crowfeather told her, ruining the moment. Heatherpaw rolled her eyes.

Watching Crowfeather climb the tree had been amusing. Descending it with the entire group was somewhat less so.

There was a reason Windclan cats didn't climb.

"Hey, hey, move your foot!"

"You're stepping on my _head_ , get _off_ -"

The branch creaked beneath them.

"- oh, rabbit dung."

Five minutes, one collapsed branch, and a whole lot of screaming later, they reached the bottom. "I think that went well," Lionpaw said brightly. Beneath him, Heatherpaw sighed.

"Lionpaw!" Ashfoot said, trotting over. Lionpaw leaped to his feet as Heatherpaw straightened up hastily. She dipped her head to them in greeting before continuing, "Good work there. You had some bad luck, that's all; we'll get them next time."

Lionpaw beamed.

"And Heatherpaw..." Ashfoot's brow lowered as she turned to the other apprentice. Heatherpaw blinked. "You were supposed to be observing the battle, not participating."

Heatherpaw opened her mouth - likely with a snarky comeback - and Crowfeather stepped pointedly on her foot. "Heatherpaw disobeyed a direct order and put herself and others needlessly in danger," he told Ashfoot flatly. "She'll be taking care of the elders' ticks for a moon. _And_ cleaning their bedding."

"I will?" Heatherpaw asked, then corrected herself at her mentor's glower. "I mean, I will."

Ashfoot tilted her head, but the corners of her mouth quirked up with amusement. "Head back to camp," she told them. "I'll be right there as soon as I've spoken to Whitetail. Take good care of those ticks, Heatherpaw."

"Yes, ma'am!" Lionpaw said brightly. Heatherpaw groaned theatrically.

Crowfeather said nothing.

* * *

As they threaded through the scattered battle patrol, Crowfeather stopped occasionally to speak with the warriors and assess the damage. The skirmish had, as a whole, gone over pretty well. While they'd ultimately lost, no one had taken any major injuries. For the most part, they'd just been webbed up and abandoned when Beetleman showed up.

Still, it'd be nice to win sometime. Losing time after time was a little draining, especially when the hopes of the entire clan were riding on you and you kept letting them down. Lionpaw ducked to avoid the stares of his clanmates and picked up speed, almost tripping over Crowfeather's heels. As if sensing the direction of his thoughts, Crowfeather wrapped his tail around Lionpaw's shoulders and tugged him closer. Grateful, Lionpaw leaned into his dad's warmth and breathed deep.

As they moved slowly up the hill, a small black shape darted out from behind an outcropping. Whitetail emerged behind him, calling, "Breezepaw, wait, it's not safe!"

Breezepaw ignored her. "Dad!"

Crowfeather hesitated, expression shuttering. "Ah... hello, Breezepaw."

Breezepaw didn't seem to notice. He skidded to a halt, clearly about to ask how the battle went, when he caught sight of Heatherpaw and scowled. "Heatherpaw, you were supposed to wait here with me!"

Crowfeather shot a disapproving look at Heatherpaw, who looked decidedly unrepentant. "Lionpaw was slipping. I had to go save him," she declared, tossing her head back. "I'm just doing my job as his clanmate."

"Lionpaw is literally invincible," Crowfeather said flatly. "You are not. You should've stuck to your post."

"I was needed more down there!"

Lionpaw considered pointing out that the only time he'd been endangered was when Beetleman attacked, which had been after she'd already shown up, but hesitated. His dad and Heatherpaw were almost nose-to-nose, fur bristling and tails switching.

"Your deputy ordered you to stay here and _watch_."

"So what, you expect me to just _sit_ here like a useless _lump_ and let him _die_?"

Something stricken passed over Breezepaw's face.

Crowfeather didn't seem to notice. "Yes! Because you've been an apprentice for all of a _week_ and you're not trained to handle a real battle! You could've easily been _killed_ _!_ "

"But Lionpaw's been an apprentice as long as I have! He could've been killed too!"

"Oh, believe me," Crowfeather snarled, voice going low and cold. " _I am aware_."

Heatherpaw jerked back. Breezepaw flinched.

Lionpaw opened his mouth to interject, but nothing came out.

From further down the path, a dry voice rang out. "Do you have an issue with my decisions, Crowfeather?"

Crowfeather started and whipped around. Lionpaw followed his gaze. Halfway down the hill, Ashfoot stood with her head high and her gaze cool, sweeping across each of them to land squarely on her son.

Crowfeather returned her gaze silently and didn't move.

Lionpaw glanced nervously from one to the other before breaking. "We were just talking!" he said quickly, sliding closer to his dad. "About, uh, how the battle went! Pretty good, right? I was doing really well, if Beetleman hadn't been there-"

"Lionpaw."

Lionpaw's jaw snapped shut.

His dad was staring right past him, eyes locked with Ashfoot's, and his expression was shifting into something darker. "Take your friends and head back to camp. This'll only take a minute."

"But-" Lionpaw began, and cut himself off at the look Crowfeather gave him.

Behind him, the grass rustled as soft paws slipped over to his side. "C'mon," Breezepaw whispered. "Times like this, it's better to just go."

Lionpaw let his brother push him away, allowed his steps to be directed. Heatherpaw wordlessly fell into step beside them as they left the raised voices behind.

The whole walk back to camp, no one said a word. Lionpaw fidgeted in the silence and hoped his dad wouldn't fight too much with his grandma - he was always super grumpy afterwards, which made his mom grumpy, which put everyone else in a bad mood too.

The trail to camp wasn't terribly difficult, but it was long, and by the the halfway point Heatherpaw was limping visibly. "How bad are you hurt?" Breezepaw asked, clearly thinking the same thing.

"Ah, it's just a scratch," Heatherpaw muttered. "Shoulda seen the other guy."

"Well, I didn't. 'cause I was _observing_ like I was _supposed_ to."

There was a tense moment of silence. Lionpaw sighed. "Guys, can we... can we not fight right now? Please?"

Heatherpaw and Breezepaw whipped around to glare at him, but they must have seen something in his face, because after a moment their hackles went down.

"Sorry, Lionpaw," Breezepaw said. Heatherpaw said nothing, but as they walked she nudged Breezepaw gently in silent apology.

Argument over, they lapsed into silence again until they reached the camp. In the quiet, Lionpaw tried to distract himself - tracing the path of the hawk soaring overhead, finding pictures in the clouds, watching for rabbits in the heather - but his mind kept circling back to Crowfeather's glare and Ashfoot's icy disdain, trapped by the memory like a rat in a trap. _Maybe they wouldn't fight if I was better_ , he thought resentfully, and the idea wormed its way beneath his skin and refused to leave.

"Heads up," Breezepaw muttered, breaking Lionpaw out of his spiral. Heatherpaw sighed heavily.

At the entrance to the camp, Onestar sat stone-still, gazing out to the horizon with suspicious eyes. As they drew closer, his gaze settled on them and he rose to his feet. "Where's Ashfoot?" he snapped. "She left with a bunch of warriors this morning and hasn't come back yet. What's she doing? Is she plotting against me?"

"Hello to you too, Dad," Heatherpaw said.

"Hello, Heatherpaw. Breezepaw, answer the question."

"We were on a border patrol and ran into some Thunderclan warriors," Breezepaw lied. "We fought a bit. Ashfoot came to back us up. That's all." He made to push past Onestar and was blocked by the other cat.

"Not so fast." Onestar bared his teeth. "Why didn't I know about this? What else is she keeping from me?"

Breezepaw shrank back. Lionpaw stepped up beside him. "It happened so quickly, there wasn't time to tell you," he said, more calmly than he felt. "I'm sure Ashfoot meant to update you before she left, she was just worried about the safety of our warriors."

Onestar glared at him, tail switching, and Lionpaw instinctively sank his claws into the ground. "Sure. Let's pretend that's true. You know something, don't you?" He stepped closer, so close that his whiskers almost brushed Lionpaw's chin. Lionpaw went stiff. "I know she's a traitor," his leader murmured. "You can't hide it forever, rogueborn."

Something red flickered at the edges of his vision. Lionpaw blinked it away and wished, intensely, that he was anywhere else.

"Dad!" Heatherpaw barged in between them, sending Lionpaw stumbling back. Onestar jerked away and blinked at her, thrown. "My leg hurts! Look at it!"

Onestar stared at her leg. Near her ankle, there was a vaguely red area with a single drop of blood. "Heatherpaw, what are you _doing_?" he demanded, shoving Lionpaw and Breezepaw aside to wrap his daughter in his tail. "You need to see Barkface _immediately_. Hurry, before you bleed out."

Heatherpaw stumbled a little bit but kept up gamely. As Onestar dragged her away, he called back over his shoulder, "Did you win, brats?"

Lionpaw looked at Breezepaw, who stared back at him blankly. "Uh, yeah, totally," he said.

Onestar tossed his head and kept walking. "Well, as long as you didn't humiliate us and drag your clan's name through the mud with yet another shameful defeat, I _suppose_ it's fine," he said, stalking back into the camp. The apprentices trailing after him shared another awkward look. "But someone better tell Ashfoot that I want to see her in my den after she gets back. We've had an awful lot of 'border skirmishes' in the past week and if she tries to pull that on me again I'm firing her."

Breezepaw stared after him as he and Heatherpaw vanished into the medicine den and clicked his tongue. "Didn't even ask if we were okay."

"You didn't fight and I'm invincible," Lionpaw pointed out reasonably.

"Not like he knows that."

Lionpaw shrugged, spent. Right now, he just wanted to go to sleep. Maybe after he woke up things would be better.

* * *

When Lionpaw's eyes slid open later that night, it was not to the sight of his ancestors twinkling overhead, but to a spacious, sun-kissed meadow. Lionpaw sat up slowly, looking around him in wonder. He'd never seen a field like this before; only heather grew on the moor, and even Thunderclan's grassy clearings only spanned the width of a few tail-lengths.

Here, lush green grass spread out as far as the eye could see.

"Nice view, huh?"

Lionpaw jumped.

Beside him, a slender dark tabby gazed out to the horizon with something wistful in his blue eyes.

"Hi, Hawkfrost," Lionpaw said, trying to edge closer inconspicuously.

Hawkfrost huffed out a sigh and draped his tail lightly over Lionpaw's shoulders, gently tugging him closer. "Rough day, kiddo?"

Lionpaw nodded. "Mhm." Tacit permission given, he shuffled over and shoved his muzzle into Hawkfrost's fur, collapsing against the older cat with a sense of relief. This close, he could hear the Starclan cat's heart beating slowly. "I went on another battle patrol today," he mumbled through a mouthful of fur.

"Again? This is the third one so far, right? Ashfoot's really running you ragged, huh."

Lionpaw shrugged. "'s for the good of the clan."

Hawkfrost shifted underneath him. "Lionpaw, you became an apprentice _last week_. This is insane."

Lionpaw didn't know about that - he was, after all, invincible and couldn't even be hurt anyway - but it was still nice to hear. "I'm tired," he said a little plaintively. "Do we have to train tonight?"

There was a moment of silence. Lionpaw held his breath.

"You need to practice controlling your powers," Hawkfrost said at last, but there was a note of hesitation in his voice. "Did you slip at all today?"

Lionpaw thought of red bleeding into the corners of his vision and whispers of violence and bone splintering between his teeth. "Nah, no slips. Zero. I had it _perfectly_ under control."

Hawkfrost didn't say anything, and Lionpaw could feel his skeptical stare on the back of his shoulders. "Please," he tried again, half-heartedly. "Just a-" and then he cut himself off, because what was he going to ask for - a break? When he'd already almost snapped twice today?

_Once is all it takes_.

Guilt settled in. "Nevermind," Lionpaw muttered. "We should practice."

There was another brief silence before something thawed in Hawkfrost's eyes, Abruptly, he plopped down, dragging Lionpaw with him. Caught offguard, Lionpaw scrabbled upright. "What are you doing?" he demanded, shrugging off his mentor's tail. "Aren't we going to train?"

Hawkfrost yawned. "Nah, we're taking a break tonight. I think you've earned it, minnow." He stretched luxuriously and flopped over on the soft grass. "I don't think there's any prey here, but you can roll around in some dandelions or something. Have fun."

"...oh."

Lionpaw stared at him, disbelievingly. Something warm flickered inside his chest.

After a moment, Hawkfrost cracked an eye open. "Well? Aren't you going to frolic, or something?"

"Maybe later." Lionpaw dropped down next to his mentor, curling up on the grass. The sun warmed his fur pleasantly, and there was something about the simple presence of another cat by his side that was calming. He closed his eyes. "I think I'm good right here."


End file.
